nächstenvsNähtenTell them apart

Quick tell: nächsten is a adjective, Nähten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nächsten” is an adjective and “Nähten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#436
“nächsten” frequency rank
#34,834
“Nähten” frequency rank
35270
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nächsten Nähten
Definition Superlativ Prädikativ des Adjektivs nah Dativ Plural des Substantivs Naht

Where the eye mixes nächsten and Nähten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. nächsten runs 8 letters (CVCCCCVC) against Nähten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
nächsten
6 ch
Nähten

Why the eye confuses nächsten with Nähten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nächsten is [ˈnɛːçstən] while Nähten is [ˈnɛːtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35270, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nächsten is recorded at frequency rank #436, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈnɛːçstən]. Nähten is at rank #34,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈnɛːtn̩].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 35270, this pair ranks #1,643,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nächsten vs Nähten

Shared letters: ehntä. Private to "nächsten": cs. Private to "Nähten": -.

"nächsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "Nähten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nächsten" and "Nähten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nächsten" is an adjective and "Nähten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nächsten" or "Nähten"?
"nächsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #436 in our German list, against #34,834 for "Nähten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "nächsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Nähten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,643,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nächsten" and "Nähten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nagen vs Nähten". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,643,907 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list